Life in the Scriptures has a new format that will spend a Year in the New Testament, in a book-by-book journey reading one chapter per day. This approach enables busy people to have daily Bible readings, and to increase their familiarity with the people, places, and teachings of the New Testament. It is a profitable and helpful Bible study method. May God bless it to you.

June 22, 2014

As
noted in the commentary for Monday after Trinity Sunday, the first seven
chapters of the book of Ezra give a brief history of the Jews who returned from
Babylon in 536
B.C. Forced by military action to stop
work on the new Temple,
the work languished, as did the zeal of the Jewish people (4:23-24). The Lord raised up prophets to call them back
to their work. It is important to note
here that their work was not to simply build a new Temple or re-instate the sacrificial system. Their work was to be the Covenant People of
God, and to love Him above all else. The
Temple was a
symbol of this. It was the symbol of His
presence with them. The sacrifices
offered there were symbols of their devotion to Him. They also symbolised the coming of the
Messiah, whose sacrifice would actually take away their sins. It was the place where God met His people,
where He made them whole and clean, where He forgave their sins, and where they
came to be in the presence of God. So
the Temple was an important place and it served
an important function in Jerusalem.
It was the focal point of the Covenant, and to be forced to stop rebuilding it
was a serious blow to the Jewish people.

Chapter
5 records the ministries of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, which we have
been reading for the past few days. The
result of their ministry was the renewed determination of the governor and the
High Priest to build the Temple
(5:2). Chapter 5:6-17 is a copy of the
letter sent by the Jews in Jerusalem to the king
of Persia explaining their
loyalty to him and asking him to search his records for the decree of Cyrus
allowing them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild
the Temple.

If
the Temple was
the focal point and primary symbol of the Covenant of God, the zeal to rebuild
it was the zeal to be God's Covenant People.
The goal was not simply to rebuild an object of national pride, or to
build a religious building where they could do religious things. The intention, on their part was to return to
their calling to be the people of God.
It was this intention that God wanted to keep alive in their collective
hearts. It was their departure from the
Covenant that brought the wrath of God upon them in 586. It was their dilution of the faith, along
with their lack of sincerity that led them into other sins and caused God to
allow the Babylonians to conquer them.
The Babylonian Captivity was punishment for breaking the Covenant and
rebelling against God. Now that they
were back in Jerusalem,
God wanted them to return to the Covenant again. Thus, the Temple, as the focal point of their Covenant
keeping, must be rebuilt.

Tuesday, June 24

Lectionary

Morning
- Ps. 32, Num. 22:15-40, Lk. 2:41

Evening
- Ps. 33, Ezra 6:1-12, Acts 9:20-31

Commentary

Ezra
is a book of history. Therefore, a look at what has transpired prior to today's
reading in chapter 6, will greatly help us understand its message. Chapter 1 records the decree of Cyrus
releasing the Jews from captivity in Babylon. In 536 B.C. the first of several groups of
Jews left Babylon and arrived in Jerusalem. Almost immediately they attempted to rebuild
the Temple,
which had been plundered and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586. In chapter 4,
adversaries of Judah ask to
be allowed to help with the Temple,
but are refused. The adversaries were
descendants of Israelites who had intermarried with Gentiles. They had also
diluted their faith with pagan ideas and worship. On the surface their appeal to help rebuild
the Temple appears
good, and the rejection of their offer by the Jews (Ez. 4:2) seems cruel and
arrogant. But perhaps the Jews
understood that watered down, adulterated religion had to be rejected, and to
allow its practitioners to help rebuild the Temple would be to invite their erroneous
faith into it when completed. It was
just that kind of religious compromise that brought the judgment of God upon
the Jews in the first place, and they had no intention of returning to it at that
time.

Rather
than repenting of their sin and purging themselves of false religion, the
adversaries began to make trouble for the Jews (4:4-6), even making false
accusations to the king that the Jews were preparing to mount a military attack
on Persia
(4:8-16). Believing the accusation to be
true, the Persians sent an army to Jerusalem to
stop the rebuilding of the Temple
by force of arms (4:23-24).

The
Jews responded with an appeal to the king.
By this time, Cyrus was dead and Darius the Mede ruled the empire
(5:5-17). Darius searched his records
and found the decree of Cyrus, which is restated in our reading for today, Ezra
6:1-12.

A
major point of this passage is the need for truth in religion. The Jews could have welcomed the compromised
faith into their midst. Their presence
would have made the work easier, the city wealthier, and the congregation
larger. Instead, the Jews refused to
compromise. Why? The message of Isaiah,
Jeremiah, and Ezekiel told them the Babylonian Captivity was the judgment of
God for compromising the faith. They did
not want to endure such suffering again, so, for a while, they maintained the
pure faith. The primary point of this
passage is the great, irresistible power of God. God brings His work to
completion in His own way and time. He
does not need the wealth of people, or great numbers of them to accomplish His
will. A small band of faithful believers
is much more valuable to Him than great crowds who have compromised the truth.
He raises up empires at His pleasure, and casts them down when He wills. Empires are no more of a hindrance to Him than
Judas was to our Saviour.

Wednesday, June 25

Lectionary

Morning
- Ps. 37:1-25, Num. 22:41-23:12, Lk. 3:1-22

Evening
- Ps. 34, Ezra 6:13-18, Acts 9:32

Commentary

At
long last the Temple
is completed. God has brought His people
back to their homeland, and enabled them to rebuild the Temple.
This means the sins which brought His anger and caused their captivity
are forgiven, and they are restored to God's favour. This is all accomplished
by grace. It was God alone who brought
them out of Babylon, and God alone who gave them
zeal to build the Temple
and persevere in its construction though enemies tried to stop their work. God's wonderful mercy and unstoppable
providence are clearly seen in this passage.
And if God accomplished His promises to the Jews with such power and
faithfulness, we can trust Him to accomplish what He has promised us in
Christ. We may meet with opposition, and
our faith may be as weak as that of the Jews in this passage, but God will
bring His work in us to completion by His own power. He cannot fail.

The
people did their work with great joy.
This includes not only the rebuilding of the Temple, but also its dedication and
services. We may also do our service
unto God with joy. Worship, prayer, the
services of the Church, and the reading of the Scriptures can be a source of
great joy to us. Let them not become
burdens we must force ourselves to bear.
Let them be meat and drink to our souls, as streams in the desert.
"Let us learn to welcome holy ordinances with joy and attend on them with
pleasure. Let us serve the Lord with
gladness. Whatever we dedicate to God,
let it be done with joy" (Matthew Henry)

Thursday, 26

Lectionary

Morning
- Ps. 37:26, Num. 23:13-26, Lk. 4:1-13

Evening
- Ps. 39, Zech. 7:8, Acts 10:1-23

Commentary

Yesterday's
reading in Ezra told us of the completion of the work of rebuilding the Temple. Tonight's reading in Zechariah takes us back
to the days before the Temple
was built, and a time when the construction had ceased due to military threats
by the Persian government. Zechariah and
Haggai began their ministries in Jerusalem
in the year 520 B.C. Their prophetic
message was comprised of two primary points.
First, rebuild the Temple. This point came with many encouragements and
promises of God, some of which we have looked at in recent commentaries. Second, be the People of God. Return to the Covenant He made with your
ancestors. Return to Him. Love and honour Him as you are called to
do. This point also came with promises
and encouragements. We have looked at
some of them already, and will do so again soon. Tonight's reading is about the second point
of Zechariah's message; being the people of God. It is about returning to the Covenant
relationship with God. It is about being
His people and loving Him above all else.
God's major concern was not for the Temple.
The Temple
was not for Him, it was for the Jews. It
was a symbol of God's presence and providence with them. It was a symbol of the forgiveness of their
sins and their acceptance by God through His grace. It was the place where they worshiped God,
and where they met God in worship. In
short, the Temple
was the symbol of the Covenant in action.
The Law specified their Covenant obligations; the Temple was a central part of how they
fulfilled those obligations in everyday life.

The
Law was a primary aspect of the Covenant.
There were three parts of the Law; moral law, civil law, and ceremonial
law. The Jews had a tendency to focus on
the ceremonial law because it was the easiest to keep. The moral law, summarised in the Ten
Commandments, was the hardest to keep.
It still is. It is because of our
failure to keep the moral law that we need the sacrifice of the Lamb of God to
cover our sins and make us acceptable to God.
The civil law, because it was simply the moral law codified and applied
to everyday life, was also very difficult to keep. It, too, still is. Man's natural
inclination toward evil causes us to tend to pervert the civil law and
government for selfish gain. If a party
can gain control of the government and courts, its members can do what they
want without fear of human retribution.
It did not take some of the Jews long to devise ways to control the
government and courts, and to use them to their own advantage. David's false dealing with Uzziah over
Bathsheba, and Ahab and Jezebel's dealings with Naboth (1 Kings 21:1-16) show
some of this abuse, but it was not contained to the palace. The writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel
frequently mention the abuse of power to gain wealth. Crooked scales, moving property boundaries,
and false accusations were well honed and heavily used tools in Judah
before the Captivity. But God called the
Jews to live in fellowship and respect, even to love one another. He did not create a wellfare state; He did
create a system of laws, which promoted freedom, justice, and well-being among
His people.

Zechariah
reminds the people of Jerusalem
that their ancestors' abuse of the civil law was a major reason why God allowed
the Babylonians to conquer and brutalise them.
They were warned by the former prophets (9-10), but they did not listen. "Yea, they made their hearts as an
adamant stone, lest they should hear the law" (7:11). Because they refused to hear God's call to
them through the prophets, God did not listen to their call to Him through
prayer when the conquering armies came (7:12).
He allowed them to be conquered in a brutal war that left vast numbers
of their people dead and vast parts of their land ravaged, including Jerusalem and the Temple. Survivors of the war were forced to live in
captivity in foreign lands (7:13-14).

We
could draw many lessons from this short passage. Law based on the moral law of God provides a
sure foundation for liberty and justice, and the nation that has and follows
such laws will live in peace and freedom.
The natural sin-inclinations of the human heart are one of the main
reasons why we need government. It
exists to protect the God-given rights and freedoms of the people. Even good government can be perverted and
used for evil if people are allowed to control and distort it for personal gain
and power. God desires peace and liberty
for all people. Failure to live in true
liberty and peace is great sin, and God is angry at such people. God is angry at those who pervert justice and
use government power for their own gain and goals. On a higher lever, it is God's plan that His
Covenant People live in mutual respect and love according to His moral
law. There is to be a fellowship and
unity among us based upon our love for God and one another. We cannot expect the world and its kingdoms
to live up to this standard very well.
But the Church must.

Friday, June 27

Lectionary

Morning
- Ps. 40:1-16, Num. 23:27-24:25, Lk. 4:14-30

Evening
- Ps. 41, 54, Zech. 8:1-13, Acts 10:24-33

Commentary

God
is returned unto Zion
(Zech 8:3). This refers not to His actual
presence, for God is present in all places and in all times. It refers to His presence in grace. It is His presence in the way we mean when we
say, "God be with you, and with thy spirit." He is present to defend, to lead, to bless,
and dwell in peace with His people. The
time of His wrath has ended. The
conquest, the captivity, the scattering of the people of Jerusalem into the surrounding nations is
over. God allowed that to happen because
of sin in his people. The holy city of Jerusalem, and even the Temple itself, had become unbearable in God's
eyes because of the sin of the people.
The Temple
had been filled with idols. The worship
offered in it was vain and insincere.
The morality of the people was as that of Gentiles who did not know God. All of this is recorded in the Bible from
Genesis to the prophets. So God allowed His people to reap what they had sown
and receive what they had sought. They
wanted to be as the Gentiles, so God gave them over to the Gentiles, to be
conquered and murdered and dominated by them.
But all of that is over. God has
brought them back to Jerusalem. God has called them to return to the
Covenant, to being the people chosen by God to be His unique people among all
others. God has returned to them in
grace, and calls them to return to Him in faith.

The
rest of the reading tells of the restoration and glory of Jerusalem
after the Temple
is rebuilt. The people will not be
killed by invaders, they will live to ripe old age, and the streets will be
filled with children. Thus, the Jews are
to "Let your hands be strong" (8:9), strong for the work of
rebuilding the Temple
and the city, but most of all, for rebuilding their faith.

This
passage has obvious application to the New Testament Church. God will bring His people into it from many
nations and countries. It will be a City
of Peace, for
the peace that passes all understanding, which is not as the world giveth but
as Christ only can give, will dwell in it.
God Himself will dwell in this New Zion, and it will be blessed and a
blessing. Therefore, we who dwell in
this City of God
must let our hands be strong. Let them
be strong for the work of the Kingdom.
Let them be strong in faith. Let
them build spiritual things now and for generations yet to come. For we will possess all things.

Saturday, June 28

Lectionary

Morning - Ps. 44, Dt. 34, Lk. 4:31-41

Evening - Ps. 46, 47, Zech. 8:14, Acts
10:34

Commentary

Zechariah 8:14-23 continues the
wondrously good news that God has returned to Zion.
Because the Jewish people had forsaken Him He withdrew His grace and
protection from them, and allowed them to be devoured by their enemies. But now He has returned in grace to
accomplish His purpose for His people.
As He did not turn back from His wrath, He also will not turn back from
His mercy (14-15). As surely as His
words of wrath were fulfilled, His words of mercy will also be fulfilled. He will do good things for Jerusalem
and Judah,
thus, they can have confidence in Him.
They may draw near to Him in faith, rather than run from Him in fear.

He calls the Jews to return to Him as He
has returned to them. The call is not
simply to rebuild a landmark and re-institute religious activity. The call is to turn their hearts to God as He
has turned His to them. The call is to
live in fellowship and peace with one another and with God. It is a call to come to God with sincerity
and truth in worship. God does not tell
them to dispense with liturgy in order to worship Him with their heart. He tells them to put their heart into the
liturgy. The Temple worship is formal, but it is not dead
formalism, and it means nothing if the heart of the people is not in it. Let the service of God in worship and in
everyday life be joy to the house of Judah (8:19). When the heart is in it, it will be joy to
worship God.

This will cause many to want to return to
Jerusalem and
to the Covenant (8:20-21). Many Jews did
not return to Jerusalem
at the end of the Captivity. Many found
new lives in the lands where they had once been prisoners. They did not want to return to Jerusalem, a land of
poverty, hardship, and danger. They
enjoyed the looser approach to the faith that was allowed in the Gentile
lands. In short, they had no intention
of returning to Jerusalem
or making the sacrifices required to become the people of the Covenant
again. The joy of the people in Jerusalem would be an
invitation to them to return to God.

It would also induce Gentiles to seek the
God of Israel. "Many people, and
strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord"
(8:22). This will be fulfilled in
greater glory in the New Jerusalem.
Christ's Church will gather many people and strong nations into it in a
way the old Jerusalem
could never do. Verse 23 is also a
picture of the day of Christ and the era of fulfillment in which we live. The first Christians were Jews and through
the grace of God working in them, Gentiles have come to their God. May they also come to us, the spiritual
children of Abraham, because they have heard that God is with us.

A Prayer for Biblical Understanding

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given to us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

About Me

The Rt. Rev. R. Dennis Campbell is Bishop of the Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia, and Rector of Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church in Powhatan, Virginia. He is the author of two books, He Shall Reign, and Gotta Run, and holds degrees from Southwest Baptist University, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.